Where does “rat” come from?
rat (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch rath, from Proto-West Germanic *raþ, from Proto-Germanic raþą, from Proto-Indo-European Hret- — to roll; wheel; to run, roll.
rat (Middle Dutch): wheel; fast, quick
Ancestry of “rat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | rath | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *raþ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | raþą | wheel |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | Hret- | to roll; wheel; to run, roll |